It's been a long time since I've been a noob, and I forget that some of basic skills that keep one alive in WWIIOL aren't common to the player whose only been in game for a day or two. "Warsaurus" has taken the lessons learned from his first week of play and penned this mighty fine battlefield guide for beginners. Don't be fooled by his tongue-in-cheek style, the points he makes are bang on and extremely useful for the new guy. I wager to say that even a few veteran players could learn a thing or two!

"From a Noob to a Noob"

By Warsaurus

Have you just started to play WW2 Online? Do you consistently mistake the trigger button for the aim button? Have you ever gone up to someone on the enemy team and actually asked them what the trigger button even was? Do you die multiple times a minute? A second? Before you even spawned? Are you easily distracted by small shiny objects in the heat of battle? Do your grenades constantly bounce back into your face? Have you tried to knife an enemy tank? Did you even know you had a knife? (Don't look at it now! Focus!) Is your Kill/Death ratio so low that quantum physicists have started to study it?

Well then my friend, you might be a Noob. But fear ye not! For I am also a fellow Noob seeking wisdom. And we are not alone. So, young Nublets, gather round while i share some small amount of wisdom that I have acquired about WW2 online, and further our ascension into the realm of the Hardcore.

Survival

The first step to learning to play WW2OL is not learning to kill your enemy. It is learning how to survive the battle, and then, later crush your enemy under your boots. To survive one must know how to move, quickly and efficiently. I am assuming that you have gone through the training the game offers, if you have not, then go and do it, quickly. Now that you have done that, we can progress.

When sprinting, you lose Stamina, once it goes down to around 45%, you cannot sprint anymore. To regain stamina, quickly lay down. Once down, stamina recharges at it's fastest rate. So, a good player will not sprint randomly into a field, they will go towards cover, drop down, recover stamina, and then continue. Another helpful tip: If you reach 45% stamina, it recharges slowly. However, if you only allow yourself to drop to 60% or so, it recharges much faster per second of rest than at 45%. So, drop down at 60%, and you shall move faster than if you tire yourself out completely.

Cover!

When going towards a town, or defending a town, one must understand Cover. Cover is a great gift bestowed upon mankind that protects us from many things. Bullets, Grenades, Things thrown at us by our Parents, Wives, Girlfriends as they scream at us to stop playing a stupid game. All of these things, Cover provides, yet Cover comes in many flavors.

Now, there is a difference between Cover and Concealment. Cover is a physical object put between you and the enemy, Concealment, is merely graphical, bullets can still come through and kill you, but it makes it harder for the enemy to spot you. In the fields, Bushes provide much of the Concealment. Yet remember ye Nublets: If you can see an enemy while looking out of a bush, he too can see you! So be Careful! There are also small ridges in the ground. These are excellent for Cover, bullets cannot penetrate, and if gives you the high ground on an otherwise flat field. Use these whenever possible. Tall grasses also provide Concealment for crawling on the ground towards a city. While it may be slow, it will also save your life, something many of us wish to keep.

In the streets of a town, Cover is harder to find, and even worse to utilize to it's full potential. Windows, while offering great vantage points, are constantly under watch by the enemy. Doorways are deathtraps, and running down the middle of a street is a good way to introduce your brain to the sidewalk. Move carefully, and check your corners. I personally find the Rubble is a great method of Cover. It offers nice high ground, plenty of cover on your flanks, and especially for the Axis, a nice concealment factor.

So to survive, use Cover, use it well, use it often. This is NOT COD, nor BFBC, or any of those games. If you go head to head in the middle of the street with an enemy you will die, don't question me on it. If you need this advice, you are a Noob, and therefore, you will lose that engagement. So think before you bull-rush into a fight!

Things to Avoid

Avoid these like the plague, because, in a way, they are. Just without the boils and sores, but they give you the Death part of it quite well.

Tanks.

RUN. AWAY. You cannot kill them, you cannot hurt them, they will kill you, don't give them the satisfaction. Now, there are ways to kill tanks. But you are a Noob, so don't try them, we're going on the basic assumption that you are a rifleman. Don't try anything else for awhile, get that game down before you branch out. Now, back to Tanks. They see you. If you see them, they see you. Don't ask me how, or why, but they SEE you. Whenever you go, they know you're there, they just like playing with their food. So stay behind cover, and either let them pass, or run. Don't stay in a bush watching them like you're sly, they'll pellet you with an MG before you knew they shot.

Army bases!

Be them your own, or your enemies.They are the large square fields with walls around them. Several buildings, holes in the walls, they're very noticeable. Your enemies have Artificial Infantry inside them. They will kill you. If they don't kill you, think about this fact. Your walking into the spawn point for their troops. So, as a Noob, don't try it, it's easier that way. As for your own Army Bases, get out of them ASAP. That doesn't mean don't defend them, by all means, defending them is the best thing you can do on defense, but inside of them is a deathtrap. Bombers will find you, and because your a Noob, you have a magnet that will attract the bombs towards you. Trust me, I know, I'm a Noob. So, don't get caught in the deathtraps, avoid them, and get out. It will save you a lot on our K/D ratio, and with your enjoyment of the game, spawn camping is not fun if your the camped one.

Enemy Spawn points

Army bases are one type of spawn point. There's another called a Depot. It is a large, light brown brick building that is 3 stories. It has a garage on one side, a fire escape on another, a tan roof, and a gray inside. (These happen to be your spawn points too, so, when you spawn, go outside and turn around. You'll now know what the enemy's look like as well) Don't get in their Line of Sight. The enemy is spawning, and these tend to be HEAVILY defended, because, when the enemy dies, 2 clicks and he's back and now most likely has seen where you were. So, unless your specifically doing it because you know what your doing, avoid them, or you'll die.

Death

A constant in the world. In fact, one of the two constants. No, Taxes isn't the second, Human stupidity is. In WW2OL you will die. You will die a lot. In fact, in the first 2 weeks of playing, several full sized cemeteries will be filled with your corpses. However, this does not mean "Oh, I'm a Noob, the best way to learn is to run into an engagement, shoot randomly and pray that I'm not killed immediately. But so what? If i die, i just re-spawn."

NO. Don't think like that. You will NOT learn, you will NOT get better, you will NOT help your team. WWIIOL has an interest feature that most games don't: Supply. Every time you die, you actually are costing your team supplies. You see when you spawn the [103 Rifleman Available} screen? Yeah, when you die, that number goes down to 102. So, your life is valuable (Now, 102 is a large number, but you're a rifleman. There's only 30 Snipers, and 30 or so Sappers available from brigades. If you lose one of them, your team will not be happy. A Noob killing off 5-6 Sappers can lose a side a town. Don't do it! The reason I preach Rifleman is because nobody cares that you're a noob. You can die, and not 'hurt' anyone, or at least you minimize damage)

Now, how to view death. Realistically. Try to survive. Do all that you can to do into a battle, accomplish your objective and survive. You're no use to anyone dead. Eventually go from 1 kill per life, to 2, to 3, to a CP point capped, and etc. Progressively progress with your skills. Get to know your limitations inside and out. As Sun Tzu said "Know Enemy, and Know yourself" and in 1,000 battles you will never lose. So, if you don't trust me, trust that guy.(I hear he's big in Asia, did some cool stuff, had a book..you know..Master of War and all that) When you die, and you will, don't say "aww, I'm just a noob, it doesn't matter" Get annoyed at yourself. You failed. In real war you died. You failed, and you've proven your failure to the world. Then, focus on what you did wrong, and correct it. Do this enough times, and you become better and better. (Oh, and to those who overreact, throwing your computer out the window does NOT improve your gaming skills. Don't get over-annoyed and ruin your day, or your game, but find a balance) So, having the mindset of "I never ever ever want to die. But if i do, I'll use the experience to improve my game so it never happens again" is big, and will improve not only your enjoyment of the game, but also help you learn faster.

Killing your Enemy: Finally!

You've learned the very basics and now you need to see heads roll! Well they shall in time, young Grasshoppers, they shall. Now, let us take time to explain 3 basic things about your rifle. (Just use the rifleman! It's easier, and you'll find in 90% of cases, they're just as good, if not better than anything else unless your doing a very specific job.)

Since the beginning of the gun, people have realized that a bullet, like any real thing, takes time to get to a certain place. So, the further off your enemy is, the longer it takes for the bullet to connect with his unfortunate cranium.

Now, the second thing, is Bullet Drop. Bullets are affected by gravity. This means that the further you shoot, the lower the bullet drops in it's flight.

The third is the Accuracy/WTF factor. I coupled them because they produce the same result. Your rifle is accurate, but at 600 meters, things get small. So, occasionally your rifle wont shoot 100% straight. Therefore, you'll miss. Also, is the WTF factor, also called by many who are wise, Lag. No one admits they failed to lag, or at least, they it was their own lag. It was always the game, it cheated them, it's messed up, the design is bad. People just don't accept Lag. So, it is the WTF factor in all shots.

How do you account for these things while shooting? Well, the second is easy. Adjust your guns range. It's set at 200M as default, and you can adjust up or down. However I suggest, because range finding is a skill picked up through practice, that if it's going to be more than 400-500 meters to your target, just move on. You wont hit it, and you'll only give away your position.

The first, Bullet flight time, is much, much harder. In fact, hitting a moving target when the bullet has a flight time of over 1.5 seconds is one of the hardest things in the world to do. (In RL, and, to be honest, in some video games) Now to counter this, one most either aim in front of the target or wait for the target to stand still. You could always try yelling at your opponent to stand still, but normally that doesn't go so well. (I tried it once, the guy shot me. The nerve of some people!)

So now after coping with the bullet distance, you now have to judge when the enemy and the bullet are going to intersect. Coupled with with lag and a slight inaccuracy in your rifle, you have yourself a very difficult shot (albeit epic if done successfully).

My advice? Patience. If you are going to need 2-3 shots to kill your enemy, it's best to just not take them. Wait for a good shot. Because once you shoot, everyone in the area knows you're there. So go by the mantra of "One shot, One kill" because it'll only take an experienced player one shot to kill you!

Acronyms

Many experienced players are probably already saying "Ugh, this post could be half as long with proper use of abbreviation." And they'd be right. Rarely do you have time to say "2 Enemy Infantry west of Longwy, along with a Tank. We also have Aircraft incoming. They're going for the Western Capture Building, I believe it's the Longwy Tin Foil Hat Factory."

No, if you have that much time in a battle, then your either lazy (Which I respect, but then you would have used the acronyms in the first place.) Detailed, (Which is always helpful) Or you just really, really care about your grammar. (English class is over there -->)

That sentence could be shortened to around this length. "2 EI, 1 ET, EA, West, headed for Western CP." Everyone understands that who has been playing, the Noob, might as well start learning Latin. ( I hear Rome is very nice this time of year)

Some common acronyms for the Noob:

EI= Enemy Infantry
ET = Enemy Tank
EA = Enemy Air
CP = Capture Point
MSP = Mobile Spawn Point
UMS = Un-manned Spawn
EMS = Enemy Mobile Spawn
AB = Army base
AO = Attack Order (Meaning, that the brigade with the AO, has been told to attack town X. Towns cannot be captured without AO's up.) Once an AO has been placed, a DO goes up for the opposing side. This, as many have probably guessed, means Defense Order
ATG = Anti-Tank Gun
AAG = Anti-Air Gun (These little things are also effective on infantry, so much so that it's almost their main purpose in some fights. So do NOT ignore their presence)

Directions are just the letters of the...direction. Duh. And for those of you who don't know, North North West or NNW (or any other combination) Is just saying, Look Northwest, and then look directly between Northwest, and North. It's just dividing the compass into 1/16ths. (I know, should be common knowledge, but this is the interwebz...and I don't trust any of you -_- )

That's many of the Acronyms used, there are so many more, and I cannot think of any off the top of my head. Feel free Veterans to add any you think are important in the comments. (Each vehicle has it's own nickname, but there are so many, and I know so few, I'm not going to try...No not even for you.)

It's Dangerous to go Alone

(See what i did there? =) ) But, as it says, if you see a friendly, don't be the guy who goes Rambo into town solo and get shot. Stay with your friend. Chances are he's much more experienced than you. He knows where to go, he knows what to do, and he knows the objective. Following him is a good way to learn what and what no to do. (Example, if he runs out into a street and 5 Mg's kill him, it's a clue not to go down that street. No! Not even for the shiny Nickle!) So stick together, and don't get caught alone. While on the topic of teamwork, lets talk capping.

There are several CP's around the city. (CP actually can refer to either Capture Point or Choke Point. Choke Point being the town, Capture Point being the sites inside the town, so have some context before deciding which). Now, to capture one, you simply walk into it. Of course, clear it of EI before you start capping. Then, find a position (Upstairs is good, but obvious. Downstairs is sneaky, but easy to get killed). The bar on the bottom right of your screen fills up, once it reaches full, you've captured it. Now you can either run and capture another, but because you are a Noob, DON'T. Stay and defend. Be a team player and Defend, I know it's hard. I rarely do it myself, it's that boring and difficult to do.

Defending CP's is the same deal, except reverse, you go inside, and clear it of EI, and then make sure no others get inside. Do this with friends, It speeds up capturing, and increases chances of survival.

Marking

Nublets, oh Nublets! It's coloring time! When you see an EI, the first thing you do is ask yourself "Do I have a shot?" If so, take it and kill him. If not, pull up your map, right click the map where he was, and then set a mark for an EI in that location. Even better, call it out in chat. In fact, even if you kill him with the first shot, mark the location anyway. Because it shows everyone the flow of battle and where the EI are coming from. It's important. Do it often, do it well, and it can turn battles. If you do kill him, perhaps say in chat "EI dead, W of town". It helps, it really does. And be on the look out for other marks on the map. Paint a picture of the battlefield, and then decide where you're most useful.

Common Mistakes!

We are nearing the End! (Finally so says the Veteran, Finally so says the Noob, Finally says the writer...my fingers hurt!) Now, common mistakes are, common,yet simple.

Gunfire

If you hear gunfire, and you don't know where it came from or who shot it, it's coming towards you. Get down, get in cover. It may just save your life. (of course it could be the other Noob, Bob who was shooting into the air at an EA. Don't be Bob)

Throwing Smoke

The common thing is, "I'm throwing smoke, so no one can see me." Well, the thing about smoke, is, its akin to putting up a McDonald's sign. Everyone sees it, everyone wants what's inside. They are going to be looking at the smoke, and at both sides. So, unless you stay behind the smoke 100% of the time, you'll take a bullet in your brain. Use it only when necessary. Also, to those of you who are clever, if you want someone looking a certain direction, then popping a smoke there will attract their eyes like bugs to a light bulb.

Shooting at a target you cant possibly hit

It lights you up like a beacon. Don't do it.

Standing in spawn windows

While offering great views, are also the 1 place the Enemy is expecting someone. So, you need to judge when it's safe, and when it's not.

Grenades thrown into walls

This is tricky at first. Grenades do NOT go straight from your view. They come from the right side, about a foot from where you want. So, adjust for this...or die.

Staying in the same place after 2-3 Kills

People will start knowing where you are, via chat, visual, audio, or even the same people coming back for revenge. Shoot, relocate, shoot, relocate. Perhaps even set a trap for those you just killed, anticipating their revenge. If you cant play well, play smart.

Simple Tricks

I already mentioned ages ago the sprint trick. Where you stop at 60% instead of 45% and you'll actually make up distances faster.

Second, yet very important IMO: You can Lean while standing (And crouching). The C and the Z keys make you lean. (C to the right, Z to the left) It's very helpful. Practice, and master it. I still haven't, I'm working on it.

Listen! (That's right, i just made another Zelda reference in the same threat...what are you going to do about it? -_- ) No sound in WWIIOL is there for it's beauty. It's there for information. If you hear a truck, and the map says it's not yours. Then it's the enemies. If you hear a tank engine, DROP DOWN. If you cant see it, but hear it, don't let it surprise you. The person who sees the enemy first is normally the winner of the fight (Or survivor)

Alright, in closing statements I'll just say this: WWIIOL is a game of learning, experience, and patience. You wont learn it overnight. I still don't understand brigade movements, supply lines, HC decisions, fallback orders and the like. I'm learning, but slowly. Use this, guide (I suppose I get to call it that?) to learn, but never forget to ask questions. People are more than happy to help, and F6 chat is there for a reason. Pepper them with questions until they want to cry, because it only serves to help you, and the game in the end.